Cheap plywood at Home Depot
Home Depot regularly carries 4×8 sheets of plywood that are maple on one side and birch on the other for about $35. Now this not super high-quality stuff; lots of internal voids, the veneer is medium quality, it’s only 5 ply, etc. But if you compare to just about any other retail source, this is the cheapest you can find plywood with two presentable sides. It’s great for use around the shop, jigs, and would even be respectable for the back of cabinets etc. And as a bonus, they’ll cut it for you (cutting 4×8 panels is a pain in the neck in most home shops). They technically charge $0.50/cut after the first cut, but I just bat my lashes and they don’t charge me a thing.
Buy a sheet for your next project. You’ll thank me for it.
(for readers who don’t know me personally–hello creative commoners!–I’m 6’3″ 200lbs, so the “bat lashes” thing is a great big joke)
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